Thursday, August 24, 2006

I had the time, and I couldn’t resist stopping at the Ave Maria Grotto, described to me as a miniature Jerusalem at a Benedictine Abbey near Cullman, Alabama, north of Birmingham.

I’d never heard of it until I got an e-mail from one of the monks; it didn't win the vote as one of my stops. And I can guess why: it sounds a bit tacky.

Turns out it’s anything but. The natural garden and surrounding woods have been painstakingly transformed into recreations not only of Jerusalem but of many of the world’s great monuments. Each is a sculpture crafted in stone, shells and colored glass over 40 years by Brother Joseph Zoettl at St. Bernard Abbey.

In its own way, it was much like Birmingham artist Joe Minter’s African Village – a message of hope to the world, and a testament to the things that give meaning to a person’s life.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jane Wooldridge is the Miami Herald's award-winning travel editor and a genuine travel fanatic. Between her business and personal lives, she has visited much of the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia, with a few out-of-the way stops such as Mali, Tunisia and Mongolia. A veteran of lodgings ranging from five stars to under the stars, she frequently travels alone; her husband and stepsons tag along when schedules permit.